I taught an old dog new tricks.
#1
I taught an old dog new tricks.
This is my dog Beau. He is a 6.5 year old golden retriever. He has never been trained as a hunting dog, just a family pet. He loves running outside, but usually never comes back. When I asked around people said it was pretty much worthless to try and get him hunting now. I started by finding a roadkill pheasant that was still in perfect condition, and hiding it around the yard for him to find. He always found it and brought it back to me, dropping it at my feet without me asking. This is coming from a dog who won't even fetch! Any time I've ever tried to get him to fetch anything he never cared to. Must just be his natural instinct kicking in. Anyway, the boyfriend and I snuck up on two geese in a farm pond and knocked them down. Unfortunately it was too deep for us to wade out and get them. So we got the dog and he immediately went out and retrieved the first goose (who was still alive and honking his displeasure) and brought him to the knee-deep water and let him go. Which isn't perfect but hey, as long as I could reach the goose that's good enough! The other goose had already floated to shore (dead) so he sniffed it but had no interest in retrieving it any farther. I'd say for an old, stubborn dog that's pretty good for his first time!